Keyhole illuminating device



Oct. 9, 1934. G, 1 STEWERT 1,976,269

KEYHOLE ILLUMINATING DEVICE Filed April lO, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet l Geary@Z 57e we f7,

1 N VEN TOR.

A TORNE Y.

Oct. 9, 1934. G. L .sTEwERT 1,976,269

KEYHOLE ILLUMINATING DEVICE Filed April l0, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet .2

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Patented Oct. 9, 1934 UNITED sTATi-:s

PATENTa QFFICE Claims.

This invention relates to the art of illumination, and has moreparticular reference to an improved device for illuminating a door lockto facilitate finding the keyhole thereof, particularly at 5 nighttime.

The present invention particularly aims to provide an electric lampadapted to be mounted in the door frame in proximity to the door lockwhen the dooris closed, yieldable means being provided to normallyproject the electric lamp outwardly of the door frame into position forprojecting a beam of light directly onto the part of the door' lockcontaining the keyhole, and manually operable means being provided forreleasably holding the lamp retracted within the door frame against theaction of said yieldable means. In this way direct and clearillumination of the keyhole is insured by a means which is normally inan out-of-the Way position.

'Ihe invention further contemplates an illuminating device of the abovecharacter in which means is provided to automatically close the circuitfor the light source of the electric lamp when the latter is projectedto operative position and to automatically open said circuit when thelamp is retracted to inoperative position.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an illuminatingdevice of the above kind which is extremly simple and durable inconstruction and eiiicient in use.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent fromthe following description,

' and the invention consists in the novel form,

combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described,shown in the accompanying drawings and claimed.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of the door of a building equippedwith an illuminating device constructed in accordance with the presentinvention, the electric lamp being in projected cperative position.

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal section on line 2-2 ofFigure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary elevation looking toward the right of Figure 2and showing 'the illuminating device and the adjacent portion of thedoor frame.

Figure 4 is a vertical section on line 4 4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4 with the electric lamp inretracted inoperative position; and

Figure 6 is a section on line 6-6 of Figure 5.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, 5 in- (Cl. 24U-2.13)

dicates an ordinary door frame within which is mounted an ordinaryswinging door 6 equipped with a conventional form of key-operated lockfor locking the same in closed position, the keyhole of which lock isindicated at 7.

The present invention preferably includes a cylindricalhousing 8 formedof suitable electrical insulating material and adapted to be mountedWithin an opening 9 provided lin the inner side of the door frame 5 inproximity to the key- 65 hole 7 of the door lock when the door isclosed. The housing 8 is closed at its inner end and has an open outerend formed with an external ange 10 adapted to abut against the outersurface of the door frame about the opening 9. The housing may besuitably secured in place and snugly iitted in the opening 9, as will beobvious. y

slidably tted in the housing 8 is an electric lamp including a hollowcylindrical casing 11 75 preferably of electrical insulating material.The casing 11 has a socket 12 at its inner end for reception of the baseof an incandescent electric lamp 13, and the inner side of casing 11 isprovided with an opening as at 14 to permit the 80 rays of light fromlamp 13 to be projected inwardly directly onto the door about keyhole 7for illuminating the latter when the electric lamp including casing 11and light source 13 is projected outwardly from the housing 8 to the po-S5 sition of Figures 1 to 4 inclusive. A helical compression spring 15is interposed between the inner end of casing 11 and the inner end ofhousing 8 to normally project the electric lamp outwardly to itsoperative position of Figure 2.

Manually operable means is provided for releasably holding the electriclamp in its retracted inoperative position, which means may consist of apivoted catch 16 carried by one side of housing 8 and having a hookedend adapted 95 to enter openings 17 and 18 respectively provided inhousing 8 and lamp casing 11 when the electric lampis in its retractedposition with said openings 17 and 18 registered with each other. Aspring 19 is provided to automatically engage 1Go the catch 16 with thelamp casing 11, and a push 4 rod 20 is operatively connected to thecatch 16 for releasing the latter against the action of spring 19. Asshown, the push rod 20 is slidably mounted through the flange 10 ofhousing 8 and has at 105 its outer end a finger piece or head 21 tofacilitate actuation thereof. A link preferably con' nects the inner endof push rod 20 with pivoted catch 16 so that when the rod 20 is pushedinwardly the catch 16 is released to permit auto- |10 matic projectionoi.' lamp casing 11 by spring 15. Obviously, pressure may be exertedagainst the outer end of lamp casing 11 so as to effect retraction ofthe latter within housing 8 until it is engaged by catch 16 for beingheld in such retracted position until manually released.

Current for the light source 13 may be taken from any source of supply,such as by tapping the wires of a door bell circuit as indicated bydotted and full lines in Figure 1. A terminal 23 is provided on theinner end of housing 8 to be .connected by a wire 24 with one side ofthe source of current, and a further terminal 25 is provided on one sideof housing 8 adjacent its open outer end to be connected by a wire26`with the other side of said source .of current. Lamp socket 12 has acentral contact 27 adapted to be engaged by the central contact of theincandescent lamp 13 and electrically connected with terminal 23 bymeans of the spring 15. A further contact 28 is carried by lamp casing11 to be engaged by the side or shell contact oi incandescent lamp 13when threaded in socket 12. As will be clearly seen in Figure 2, contact28 is arranged to engage terminal 23 Whenthe lamp casing 11 is projectedto operative position, thereby automatically closing the circuit ofincandescent lamp 13. On the other hand, the arrangement is such thatcontact 28 will be disengaged froxn terminal 25 when lamp casing 11 isretracted to its inoperative position, thereby opening the circuit ofincandescent lamp 13 when the electric lamp is in its retractedinoperative position and not required for use.

In operation, the electric lamp is normally retracted to the position ofFigure 5, being held in such retracted position by the catch 16. When itis desired to illuminate the keyhole 7, it is simply necessary toreadily locate and press upon the head 21 of push rod 20 so as torelease cap 16. When this is done, spring 15 automatically projects theelectric lamp outwardly of the door frame and housing 8 to the positionof Figure 2. When the electric lamp is thus projected, contact 28 isengaged with terminal 25 and the circuit of incandescent lamp 13 iscompleted so as to cause lighting of the latter. The rays of light fromincandescent lamp 13 will then be directly projected from casing 11through opening 14 onto the door 6 about keyhole 7. The key for the doorlock may then be readily inserted in the keyhole .7 for unlocking thedoor, after which the electric lamp may be returned to its retractedinoperative position of Figure 5 until again required for use.

From the foregoing description, it is believed that the construction andoperation as Well as the advantages of the present invention willv bereadily understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art. It willbe seen that the device may be cheaply manufactured and quicklyinstalled, and that the same is extremely simple and durable inconstruction as well as eflicient in operation. Minor changes arecontemplated Within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

What I claim as new is:

1. A keyhole illuminating device comprising a housing, means to mountsaid housing in one side of a door frame, an electric lamp/having acasing slidably mounted in said housinig and projectable therefrom',said lamp casing having an opening in its inner side through which raysof light may pass directly onto thedoor about the keyhole constantlyacting to project said electric lamp relative to the housing, andmanually releasable means for holding the electric lamp retracted withinthe housing.

2. A keyhole illuminating device comprising a housing, means to mountsaid housing vin one side of a door frame, an electric lamp having acasing slidably mounted in said housing and projectable therefrom,saidlamp casing having an opening in its inner side through which rays oflight may passdirectly onto the door about the keyhole when the lamp isprojected, means to project said electric lamp relative to the housing.

3. A keyhole illuminating device comprising a housing, means to mountsaid housing in one side of a door frame, an electric lamp having acasing slidably mounted in said housing and projectable therefrom, saidlamp casing having an opening in its inner side through which rays oflight may pass directly onto the door about the keyhole when the lamp isprojected, yieldable means constantly acting to project said electriclamp relative to the housing, manually releasable means for holding theelectric lamp retracted within the housing, and contacts carried by thehousing and the electric lamp casing arranged to cooperate forautomatically closing the circuit of the source of light of theelectriclamp when the latter is projected and to automatically open saidcircuit when the lamp is retracted.

4. A keyhole illuminating device comprising a housing adapted to bemounted in one side of a. door frame, an electric lamp slidably mountedin said housing and projectable therefrom, yieldable means constantlyacting to project said electric lamp relative to the housing, manuallyreleasable means for holding the electric lamp retracted within thehousing, a terminal carried by the inner end of the housing andelectrically connected to the source of light of the electric lamp,

means for connecting said terminal with a source of current, a contactcarried by the electric lamp and connected with the source of light ofsaid electric lamp, and a further terminal carried by one side of thehousing and engageable by the contact of the electric lamp forautomatically closing the circuit of the source of light of the latterwhen the electric lamp is projected, said contact being' disengageablefrom the secondnamed terminal when the electric lamp is retracted foropening the circuit of said source of light automatically upon suchretraction of said electric lamp, and means for connecting the lastnamedterminal to said source of current.

5. A keyhole illuminating device comprising a flanged housing, means tomount said housing in one side of a door frame, an electric lamp havinga casing slidably mounted in said housing and projectable therefrom,said lamp casing having an opening in its inner side through which raysof light may pass directly onto the door about the keyhole when the lampis projected, yieldable means constantly acting to project said electriclamp relative to the housing, manually releasable means for holding theelectric lamp retracted within the housing, said last-named meanscomprising a pivoted spring-pressed catch carried by the housing, a pushrod slidably mounted through the ange of the housing, and a linkconnecting said push rod with said catch.

GEORGE L. STEWERT.

